Little Falls transcript., 1887-09-23
The First Century of the COnsti-
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The First Century of the Consti-
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The month of September, 1887, natur-
ally suggests the completion of the work
of the convention of 1857, just hundred
years ago, in its successful formation of
the Constitution of the United States. It
may be we'll for US, with the light of a
century's practical experience of the con-
stitutiop, at the end of which that in
strumentfts the new nation as comfort
ably as in 1889, to consider what the
difficulties OF the convention would have
been if it had been called upon to frame,
with prophetic vision, constitution for
the United States of 1887.
The strongest argument which the
"Federalist," and the defenders of the
new Constitution in the state conven-
tions, could advance in favor of ratifica-
tion and in justification of the expccta-
ton of the practical success of the con-
stitution, was the comparatively small
size of the country. Hamilton, in the
''Federalist," lays down this rule: t'Thc
natural limit of a republic is that dis
tance from the center which viii barely
allow the representatives of the people |
to meet IS often as may be necessary for
the administration of public affairs"
He estimates the length of the country
from north to south, at S6S3 miles, and
its breadth at 750, adding the comforta-
BILE comparison: "It is not a great deal |
larger than Germany or than |
Poland before the late dismemberment"
In another place he says: eff there be |
but one government pervading all the |
states, there will be, as to the principal |
part Of our commerce., but one side to |
guard-the Atlantic coast" With what |
feelings would he and the convention |
have set about their work, if they could |
have realized that they were in reality |
framing a scheme Of government for
country which was to stretch from north |
latitude 90 to 1872, and from the 9th to
the l25th degree of west longitude, 2sOO |
miles by 1900 through the center, to say
nothing of Alaska, in itself two-thirds |
the size Of the country Of which Hamil-
ton was speaking? That the commerce
for which they were caring was to whit
en- the waters of both the Pacific and the |
Atlantic, of the Gulf of Mexico as we'll as
of the Great Lakes? That the congress
which they were providing was to deal
with an internal commerce greater than |
all the foreign commerce that the |
country has ever known; with !. manu-
featuring capital of So 500, 900 600 and all !
annual product of S, 400. 100000; with a
population ofG0, 600 600 instead of 4,OOO,-
600? That the time would come when a |
member of congress would be compelled !
to travel $500 miles in going to the |
Federal Capital and returning to his
state? 1t is a fortunate thing for the
United States that the convention which |
framed its Constitution knew nothing
of the future, and devoted it's cares and |
energies to the establishm ent of a gov
ernment for the country which it knew.
The convention sent forth the instru-
ment which it had framed to meet the |
future, and the most marvellous feature
Of its first century of trial has been its
apparently inexhaustible power Of ac-
commodating itself to the growth and
changing necessities of The people. It's
judiciary system has expanded in it's ter
ritorial jurisdiction from thirteen dis
tricts to sixty; it's presidential office has
had control of Il million Of armed men
its imports have risen from S22 ,00O, 900
to $640, 100000, and it's exports from
$50, 900, 600 to S720,000 900; steam, cleo
tricity, and all the other forces which |
modern civilization has lurnessed for
the service of man, have altered the
life and needs of the people; and still
the national government established by
the Constitution remains unchanged in
substance. The natural divergence of
its lines has brought larger and still
larger fields within their scope; the
few employees of 1880 have increased
in number until they are an army; but
the treasury officer of 1879, if he could
examine the organization of to-day,
would still be able to trace clearly the
lines of the original formation, though
he might be bewildered in the effort to
follow out all the qualifications by
which the system has met the require
ments of later development. The case
is the same in eyvry department of
the national system; it has developed,
but it has not changed. The convention
of 1857 could hardly have provided a
more satisfactory system for 1887 if,
prophetic vision, it had been able to
forecast the needs of 1887 and adapt
| it's work to those needs.
Nations, like individuals, can live but
| one day at time, and their business is
to live that day as wisely, honestly, and
justly as may be; not to essay the part
of Providence, and attempt to legis-
late for millions yet unborn. They can-
not legislate for posterity: they can only
provide the molds into which the fol-
lowing generations must be poured;
and, unless those molds are wise, and
just and honest for the generation which
makes them, they will assuredly be
broken by some succeeding generation,
or they will compress and mar the
whole life of the people. In this sense,
we, who stand on the threshold of the
second century Of the Constitution, are
as actually cons titution-makcrs as the
members of the convention of 1857.
Let it be our care to make our institu-
| tions wise. just, and honest for the
people of 1887, and to hate and, re-
pudiate every proposition that savors of
dishonesty or of injustice, however it
! may seem to our temporary advantage,
knowing that we are thus doing all that
man can do for the people of l987.-The
Century. 49,